The Monsters We Hide
by Tabbygal
Summary: Just a day after the great thaw, Hans' cell is found empty. Empty with deep scratches on the walls and iron bars torn out with an inhuman strength. Elsa goes after him with a company of guards, and they find something terrible waiting for them. Set post-movie, eventual Helsa and occasional Kristanna. Werewolf!au (Rated T for violence)
1. Inhuman

_What sets a human apart from a monster, aside from genetics? Aside from the terrible truth? We walk the same streets. We wear the same clothes. You take a breath, and there we are, gulping the same air. We're walking in your footsteps. And even a monster can possess that most dominant of human emotion... fear. We know enough to remember what we once were. We know enough to fear what we can now do. And, like a human, we obsess over love, over life, over every lost cause. We have the same weaknesses as you. But even this doesn't make us normal. But it does make us... unforgettable._

\- Being Human

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After much searching, they were finally on his trail. Elsa couldn't answer why she felt the need to go with the search party, besides that she felt somewhat responsible for it all. No, she hadn't been in control of Hans' actions, but she had started blizzard that set the whole chain of events in motion. On top of that, the ugly scratches they had found on the rock walls of his empty cell after he had escaped disturbed her more than she could describe. That and the iron bars that had been ripped out like they were toothpicks.

It was something inhuman, and only she had the strength to match that much power. Yet as they drew closer, she tried to convince herself it was all just a trick. A hoax meant to rattle them. The smears of blood on the trail they were following did little to reassure her. Then they found it. A man's barefoot tracks leading into the mouth of a dark cave in the side of the mountain. They all paused, merely staring. It felt as though the cave was the face of darkness itself, emitting the kind of silence that got into your bones.

The captain of her guard nodded, then pointed at another man. "You, come with me. Everyone else wait out here. We'll call if help is needed." He instructed, leaving no room for argument. Even Elsa was rather glad to not go inside the cave if she didn't have to. She could hope that the two of them would return with Hans bound and harmless, but a knotted sort of feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that wouldn't be the case.

She watched with dreadful anticipation as the two of them lit lanterns and unsheathed their swords, before silently entering the cave. Their lanterns illuminated the rock walls for a few moments, before the darkness swallowed them. Elsa drew in a shaky breath.

"Ready more lanterns, in case we have to follow." The remaining six men snapped to do her bidding and soon four similar lanterns were lit, as they all strained to hear what was going on inside the cave. Nothing but a thick silence met them, and within a few moments, she realized some of them were shivering. Night had fallen and the moon was beginning to rise in the distance, big and full. Just enough chill in the air to couple with the uneasy feeling and send even the strongest-willed men to goosebumps.

The silence though, that was nothing. Not once a scream came echoing out of the cave. The desperate sound had them reeling in shock before Elsa rocking into action. She grabbed one of the lanterns and strode forward in determination.

"I believe that would be a call for help." She said grimly as she took her first step into the darkness. The men behind her came to life once more and flanked her. Inside, the darkness was cut with light, but stretched ahead of them without much hope for an end. Elsa pushed on faster, worry growing for the two men inside. She thought silence had fallen after the scream, but now she could make out faint whimpers in the distance. She went a little faster, catching the faint glow of lanterns in front of them.

Almost unexpectedly, the broke into a cavern and all the lanterns together cast an eerie glow on the scene. One of the first two lanterns set harmlessly on the floor, while the other had been knocked over and the glass around it had shattered. A few feet away, laid the captain. He was motionless, besides a slight rise and fall of his chest assuring that he was still alive.

And on the far wall, was Hans. He had his back to them, his hand around the second guard's neck, holding him up against the wall so his feet dangled. The man clawed at Hans' hand, his eyes wide while his mouth gaped and searched uselessly for air. Desperation clung to the air like a tangible thing.

"Hans!" Elsa called, searching her mind for something to say. What could she say? "You don't have to be a monster." She finally said, grabbing hold of the only thing that came to mind. His grip didn't move, but he turned to look at her. She took a sudden step back, stumbling against on the guards.

Hans' eyes were yellow. Green flickered in them for a moment, like a hint of human inside the unnatural, demonic yellow. They were wide and he was panting, his muscles tense. It took a moment for his eyes to focus on her, and the green flickered again. He dropped the man suddenly, and the guard crawled away, gasping for air. One of the men behind her fired a crossbow, but Hans dodged it. He took a step to the side like it was the most natural thing to do, like the arrow was nothing but a nuisance. Lips curling up, he let loose a snarl of a growl at their group.

"Get out." His voice was gravelly and angry, and nothing like the charming prince she had met during her coronation. Yet as his eyes flickered with green again, she saw what had been bothering her. Fear. The same trapped feeling she had felt once. He took a step forward and his eyes stayed completely yellow.

"I said _GET OUT_!" The thundering roar shook the cave around them. Elsa turned on her heel and urged the men out. They needed little encouragement from her, turning and racing out alongside her. It didn't matter that they were many and Hans was only one; something about him had chilled them all to the bone. Elsa could even feel a cold setting in that was far from natural.

As they all flew into the open air once more, she could see that the moon had fully risen now. Another blood-curdling scream came from inside the cave, and all of them turned to watch in morbid horror. There was still nothing but black. A few moments later, a howl rose up and they all took a step back. One of the men raised his still burning lantern in a trembling hand and stepped up to the mouth of the cave once more.

He hardly had a chance to peer inside, as a beast jumped out. He shot out of the cave, a blur of fur, teeth, and claws, and the next thing she knew, the man was on his back, his screams competing with the snarls from the wolf. The screams were cut off suddenly, and red blood spilled across the snow. She recoiled in horror and dimly noticed those around her dropping their lanterns and running.

Few of them made it far. It was a wolf, she made out after a moment. Much bigger than most wolves and bright red in color. Just a flash, here and there, ripping into those that ran with angry snarls and dripping fangs. As far as she knew, she saw two men make it far enough away that he didn't go after them. Then it's yellow eyes turned on her. Elsa swallowed, feeling her hands start to shake. She could use her magic. Strike it and kill it, even. But something stopped her. She wasn't sure what it was, that tug on on her gut, but she couldn't do it.

She wasn't a killer, even when it came to monsters. The multitude of books she had read kicked in, and she found herself kneeling instead. Her braid fell to the side and she bared her neck to the beast. Submission, to a wolf, was one of the easiest ways to assure that one wasn't a threat. She had read everything that was in their library during all her time alone. A lonely interest perhaps, but one that was paying off.

He approached her, and her head dropped further. Something warm and wet dripped onto the back of her neck, and she felt a hot breath panting against it. Fear had her muscles clenching and she found herself holding her breath. A few horrid moments later, the sickly sweet smell of blood faded away and she could hear the sound of paws loping away into the distance. Moments of tense silence later, another howl split the air, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. Elsa collapsed on the ground in relief.

"Your Majesty?" It was the shaken voice of one of her guards, returning. She didn't know how much time had passed that she had laid there thanking her lucky stars, but it came as a second wave of relief to know that not all her men were dead. She pushed herself up, wincing back at the sight of the bloodbath in the circle of trees.

"I'm alright." Her voice came out as a whisper. Ice crackled beneath her, and snow flurried above her, which she did her best to will away. It lessened, but didn't disappear.

"What was that?" The guard asked, sounding no better than her. He took her by the elbow and lifted her to her feet.

"I don't know." Elsa replied. The man beside her shivered.

"Do you think it killed Hans?" He asked next, looking towards the cave. Elsa looked there as well, then up along the path it had taken towards the North Mountain.

"I believe whatever that was destroyed the Prince." She said.

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 **A/N: Okay guys! This fic will be posted as I write it, so I make no promises. I do actually have a plan for it, and figure it'll be around eight chapters or so? I know it's not any of the fics I've been promising people, but I started watching Being Human again and I just had to write this. So, everyone enjoy a werewolf fic full of angst.**


	2. Inexplicable

_When you're six years old, a shadowed bedroom can seem as terrifying as the night sky must have seemed to the ancient men. And those things said to go bump in the night, they can feel just as real. I'd imagine that something was hiding in the dark corners of my room; a monster, a ghost. I'd bolt upright in bed, terrified, screaming for my mother. Eventually I grew up, got over it, learned that if I could just hang on, the sun will always rise again. But then everything changed. Then the night, dark, came to mean something very different, that the turn was coming. So the childish night terrors came right back, because now I'm now one of those things that go bump._

\- Being Human

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Elsa had the town shut down when she returned. She first saw the three remaining guards (after finding the captain still alive and the shredded remains of Hans' clothes) safely to the castle physician, then ordered that everybody stay inside and lock everything. While she was confident whatever the monster was would not return to town, she wouldn't take any chances. Not until she understood better what was going on and how to handle it. She wouldn't have any more innocent deaths.

From there, she was at a loss. She couldn't send more men to be slaughtered, and they would. Even if she sent an entire legion of men, there would be deaths and she would not abide by that. She made the decision to go alone before Anna could be woken and informed of her plan. Too many already protested it, but she merely ignored them. She was powerful enough to take care of herself, she knew that. And from her reading, she knew the habits of wolves. Of course this was no ordinary wolf, but she was confident in her ability to understand it.

Understand _him_. She had no wish to personify the monster. Yet she didn't believe for a second that the ripped and bloody clothes Hans had been wearing were proof of his death. The others took it easily enough, even the soldiers that had been there seemed happy with the explanation. She wondered if they had seen his yellow eyes when they were in the cave, or noticed his inhuman reactions. It was their way of coping with it, she imagined. What else could a person do, when faced with the existence of monsters?

She'd dealt with the monster inside of her for as long as she could remember. It didn't take much to recognize that look in someone else. The only thing she had to wonder was how she had missed it before. Or maybe how he had covered it so well. She didn't understand fully what he was. She just knew that it wasn't human, and it was the kind of monster that would tear someone apart from the inside out.

That was why she had to go alone. She steadfastly refused any guard, insisting they stay to protect the town and the castle. Gerda followed her all the way to the front gate, fussing the entire time and telling her she had no place to be running off after some monster when she'd only freshly been crowned queen. Elsa brushed her off and closed her ears to the chiding, leading her horse out the gates before turning back to look at Gerda.

"Tell Anna I'll be back by nightfall at the latest. Make sure she's not allowed to leave the castle and come after me, and send no men up the mountain. This monster is too powerful for anyone else to face." She ordered firmly. Gerda nodded, though reluctance was in her eyes.

"You be safe. And come back. Arendelle needs you, and your sister needs you." She told Elsa, who straightened up a little. It was reminiscent of a motherly order, but she didn't mind. Despite being a servant, Gerda had been the closest thing to a mother her and Anna had had after their own parents passed. She nodded, then turned her horse around. She had a long night ahead of her.

She trotted through most of the town, but broke into a gallop as soon as they were out. An excellent horseback rider she was not, with little experience in the sport. Yet she took to it quickly, especially once she escaped the prying eyes in town and shed the lady's side saddle she'd been given to ride, instead using both her legs on either side of the horse. It was more difficult without a saddle, but she would never be able to lope while riding side-saddle.

It didn't take long to return to the cave where they had first found him, stomach churning at the excess of blood on the ground. She turned away from the carnage, doing her best to calm her skittish horse. She had to slip off it's back in order to find the trail once more, grateful for the full moon that cast enough light for her to see.

Despite the fact that she was no tracker, it wasn't difficult to pick up the trail. Huge pawprints preceded her, most of them streaked with blood. Even once she got back on her horse she could follow it. He had taken a path through the trees that was wide enough for her to fit easily, though the horse was growing increasingly uneasy and more difficult to handle. Still, she rode for hours, following the trail. Straight towards the North Mountain, the air growing colder the further they went.

When another howl rent the air, her horse reared back and threw Elsa. She landed on her rear in an ungraceful heap, and had no time to call her horse back before it raced away towards Arendelle. Leaving her alone. At the base of the North Mountain, in the middle of the night. Whether she could feel the cold or not, she shivered and climbed to her feet. So she was on foot now. She could go back to Arendelle and regroup, wait for morning light and go out again with more supplies and the advice of those that knew more about the world. Or she could press forward with no horse, no supplies and no plan.

Elsa chose to step forward, feeling the cold of the North Mountain beckoning her. Even in the summer, there was snow at the top, and she imagined her ice castle was still mostly there. She had been careful during the thaw to let that section be, hoping the cool mountain air would keep it from melting. Now it was as though it was calling to her, reminding her of the ice in her veins that would feel more at home on the top of the mountain.

She could do this on her own. She was in her own element now, on grounds that she felt comfortable in. Every step brought her closer to the cold, to a place that felt far more right to her than any castle walls. She would eventually adapt to living life with other people, in a castle that wasn't made for someone like her. But it would never be the same as the feeling of mountain air swirling around her, of the first step high enough to have snow crunching under her feet. This was what she was made for. She was confident, she was strong, she-

Another howl cut through her confidence like a knife. This one was much closer. It sounded of loneliness and made every hair on her body stand on end. She paused and looked around. There was only a thin layer of snow underfoot, and trees surrounded the path she was on. There was a flash of red that caught her eye, between some of the trees. She felt her confidence fleeing, her anxiety rising.

"Come into the open." She called, turning in a slow circle. Silence followed and she saw nothing else, nearly convincing herself it had merely been a trick of the light. There was nothing out there. The monster was further ahead, she wasn't prepared to face off yet. She breathed out shakily and turned back to the trail again. There were still the tracks, going straight on ahead. She took another step forward.

Then it was there. Standing in the middle of the path, there faster than she could blink. It wasn't in a defensive position now, merely standing with his head high and staring at her. For once still enough that she could get a good look. He was about twice the size of a normal wolf, his fur an auburn russet color that caught the moonlight and gave him a fiery look. Elsa took a wary step back and he advanced after her. Even when she stilled, he kept on approaching, until he was standing in front of her.

He was only a head shorter than her, she realized when he got to her. He stood still for only a moment, circling around her and pressing up against her with his side. Elsa stiffened, even her breaths coming shorter than normal as she waited to see what the monster would do. He just nudged her from behind until she took a step forward, then nudged her again. She got the idea. She was supposed to walk. By all means she shouldn't have done anything the strange creature wanted from her, but curiosity got the better of her.

She wanted to _know_. She wanted to understand the mystery of how he had come about, or where he had come from. She could always defend herself, and no innocents were in danger at the moment. Curiosity had it's control of her for the moment, and she allowed herself to walk forward, allowing for the occasional corrective nudges from the wolf, pushing her in a different direction. Shocking, how the thing could be so aggressively violent the first time she saw him, and so calm the second. It made little sense to her, and only increased her curiosity.

About an hour they walked, to the top of the North Mountain. Her staircase was still there, though she silently reinforced it with every step. She didn't want both of them tumbling down to their deaths, even if it would take care of the monster problem for all of Arendelle. But they made it to the other side safely, not a crack to be seen in the ice. By that point, the snow was thick underfoot and her ice castle was in perfect view.

She rocked to a halt, staring up at what had been her home for a short time. She was filled up with a sense of nostalgia for what had hardly even been hers. An awe in seeing what she was actually capable of. Beyond little snow flurries for the villagers or an ice rink in the ballroom. She had made a towering castle, complex and detailed. She'd made it with a mere thought. And Marshmallow, he rose up from the snow having sensed their presence.

Elsa raised a silent hand to tell him to allow them to pass as the wolf beside her continued forward. He looked back at her with more intelligence than she had ever seen in an animal's eyes, and she stepped forward again. So his intent was to take her into her own ice castle. She wondered if he knew. Knew that it was hers, that she had created it. There was no point in questioning things that would only go unanswered. Her best chance at finding any answers was to follow the monster.

So she stepped after it. Followed inside the castle let the cold sweep around her like coming home again. Once again, she came to a stop, staring up at the work she had done. She noticed dimly the wolf circling around her again. She started to walk again, but he pushed her back into place. Then nudged her side, pushing insistently. He wanted something from her, if she could only figure out what. None of the actions were violent, at least. Just steady and insisting.

She sank to her knees and he seemed happy with that. Circling a few more times, he settled down as well, almost curled around her. Sitting a few long moments in tense silence, one of her hands slowly reached out to rest atop his head. He shut his eyes and his breathing evened out. Elsa did her best to even out her own breathing, uneasy as she was just sitting with a monster. It didn't feel right. Yet she had the feeling that if she tried to move, he would push her back into place and she could not figure out why.

So strange and wrong as it felt, she relaxed. Time wore on and her posture sank and her eyelids drooped as she remembered that it was far past the time she usually slept. Blinks drew longer, until her eyes didn't open again.

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 **A/N: Hey, look at this, I've already got the next chapter! Guess that's what happens when I get really excited about a story. Now I realize that this is terrible. But the point of it is kind of to be the tacky, overdone, dramatic werewolf story. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to be writing from Hans' pov during this story, but you will be seeing more of him in the next chapter. And I swear, things will be explained. Eventually. Probably. Idk, we're all in this for an adventure, I'll probably be as surprised as you. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Instinct

_What are the consequences, really? "I'm only human," you say, and all is forgiven. But what if some cruel twist of fate makes you something else, something other? Who forgives you then? Every human spends a night or two on the dark side and regrets it. But what if you only exist on the dark side? We just want the same things that you do: a chance at life, at love. We're not so different in that way. And so we try and sometimes fail. But when you're something other, a monster, the consequences are worse. Much worse. You wake up from your nightmares. We don't._

\- Being Human

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Hans woke himself up shivering. It was impossibly cold and everything ached. But then, everything always ached after a full moon. There was something laying on top of him and he loathed to see what it was. Typically lying with something meant an animal he'd killed and it was usually horrific beyond belief. Yet as he slowly regained consciousness, he could feel the rise and fall of whatever it was breathing. He opened his eyes.

 _The Queen_. He found that a small cry escaped his mouth at the sight, and he scrambled back. She didn't appear injured, and her clothes were all still there. He hadn't harmed her, at least. But his sudden movements and noise had woken her. She rose looking in the opposite direction, pushing herself to sit up. He prayed uselessly that she wouldn't, but she turned and saw him.

" _Oh_!" A hand went over her mouth and she looked up, over, anywhere but him. Hans looked down at himself and realized what the problem was. No clothes. Very much without clothes. Glancing around briefly, he realized they were in her ice castle and he had little hope of finding a house with laundry hanging that he could raid. The Queen's hand flourished out towards him, and he felt a cold starting at his ankles and slowly rising up. Was she killing him? Freezing him? Maybe at least then he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else.

The cold reached his neck and his wrists and stopped though, and he dared to look down. Ice clothes, like the dress he had found her in. And for a reason he couldn't describe, they trapped the heat inside, made him feel less of the cold around him. He lifted his hands up to look at the fabric, but it just drew his attention to the blood on his hands. Dried blood, but still from that night. He could smell it and he knew what it was, his senses still strong. A moan left his mouth as he tried desperately to rub it off, looking back at Elsa. She was watching him again, and he held out his hands to her.

"How many?" He asked, hands starting to shake. She stepped forward, eyebrows knitting together.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Hans backed away from her instinctively. It was always better to avoid people around this time.

"How many people?" He cried, thrusting his hands out farther. Maybe it was worthless to torture himself like this. To recount every person the monster had killed while he was in control. But he couldn't help himself wanting to know, needing to know. Elsa's eyes fell away again and he knew she knew what he was talking about.

"Five men." She whispered. He cried out at the number and his knees hit the floor. _Five Men_. Too many people. He had to find a way to stop his curse. Too many people had died at his hand because of this _thing_ he'd been burdened with.

"Why did you bring me here?" Elsa asked. Hans looked up, fingernails digging into his arms. He noticed again where they were, why it was so cold. Her ice castle. The last thing he clearly remembered was breaking out of his cell, then running out of Arendelle. Past that the wolf had taken control and he had only flashes of memory. Some of them dark enough to make him want to crumble, turn away from the world and never allow himself the light of day again. Others, he caught glimpses of nudging The Queen along, up the mountain. He shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know. I don't understand what he does." He told her. He didn't even know why the wolf would have spared her. He seemed to kill everything he came across. But even in the dark of his consciousness where he always lurked, Hans could feel the wolf was at peace with her. It didn't make sense for a monster that was always straining at the edge of his mind, fighting to take control.

" _He_?" She questioned, taking another step forward that he answered by rising to his feet and taking a step back. He still didn't want to take the chance on hurting her.

"That _monster_." Hans spat. "He's not me, he's something else. He's a killer." He insisted. Of course he sounded insane. And probably like he was trying to escape the crimes he'd committed the past night, or the past several days in Arendelle. But he didn't know what he could say to make her believe him. He just shook his head more and backed away.

"You have to let me leave, get far away from here. I'll find a place where I can't hurt anybody." He insisted, hoping that she at least would understand the determined look in her eye told him she didn't.

"No." She answered. There was an edge to her tone he didn't remember hearing before. She had to find her confidence _now_. An angry sound left his throat and he took a step forward this time.

"The dungeons in Arendelle will not hold me and I _will_ hurt more people." He snarled. Ice shot up around him, forming a cage with two inch thick bars of ice.

"As far as Arendelle knows, Prince Hans is dead. I think it would be for the best if it stayed that way." She said calmly, walking up to the cage. Hans strode forward and gripped the frozen bars.

"You really think this can hold me? Can hold _him_?" He demanded, shaking at the bars. They grew thicker at his violence.

"Perhaps not this one, but I can build a cage that I'm sure will hold even you." She answered, regarding him with cool blue eyes. He could see the curiosity lurking there and his shoulders sagged. She didn't understand what she was getting into, she couldn't.

"How did this happen to you?" Elsa asked, shifting around so she was in front of him again. Hans slid down the bars to sit on the icy floor. He let out a shaky sigh, crossing his arms so he couldn't see the blood on his hands anymore.

"I was sixteen." He said carefully. His best option was clearly to go ahead and tell her, hope she would understand and let him get as far away as possible. "I liked to explore the islands around the Southern Isles. They were mostly empty and abandoned, and it was a good way to get away from my brothers. One of the only ways to find solitude. My parents tried to stop me, but I snuck out. Found myself on a dark island that was inhabited by a witch. It was supposed to be off-limits to everyone, and she was angry at me for trespassing. Incredibly angry.

She cursed me. Told me that every time the full moon rose I would turn into a monster, unless I found royalty that was willing to marry me. My family of course didn't believe me. Not until the first full moon when I-" He broke off, swallowing roughly and looking down. "I killed three servants. Or he did. It doesn't really matter. They locked me up and sent out men to kill the witch. I begged them not to, I thought I could convince the witch to reverse the curse on me, but they killed her anyway. And I had no chance of an arranged marriage from them after that, they were far happier to lock me away. Every time he got out and killed more people, they would figure out a better cage." He paused to look up, seeing Elsa watching him with rapt attention. There was also that hint of pity that he hadn't meant to draw out of her. He didn't deserve it.

"I had one brother who still visited me. He told me about your coronation and helped me form a plan. Get out of my cell with his help and take the ship going to Arendelle. I could woo you or Anna and insist on an immediate wedding, and the curse would be broken. It wasn't safe so close to a full moon, but I was desperate. The last thing I really remember is being in the library with Anna, but he.." Hans trailed off, trying to think how to explain something he didn't fully understand.

"Sometimes the wolf can take over even while I'm in my body. It only ever happens close to the full moon, and it's rare. But it takes just enough of my conscious to know how to interact with people and does irrational things. I have glimpses of things that happened, leaving Anna, standing on the fjord… Then I was in a cell and the full moon was going to rise, I knew I couldn't be in Arendelle when I turned. I broke out and tried to get as far as I could before the moon rose, and the last thing I remember is a seeing you in that cave. Then it's all dark, flashes of memories, looking out from his eyes. Hearing…" His fingernails dug into his palms and he shook his head. There were some things he couldn't dwell on.

"I know it sounds impossible and fantastical, but it's true. And you have to let me get far away from here. He'll destroy Arendelle." Hans pleaded, unwilling to look up at her again. He had to sound like he was insane, even if she had seen the proof herself.

"Hans, look around you." Elsa told him. Her words were too strong to ignore, and he raised his head once more to look up. The ice castle. It was enormous, intricate, stunning. Elsa thrust one of her hands through the bars, catching his attention. Ice daggers formed on her fingertips, then retreated back into her pale skin.

"I know about monsters. It's why I created this place, trying to protect the world from me. I nearly killed Anna, nearly killed everyone in Arendelle. I know that impossible things exist in this world, and sometimes they threaten to destroy us. I don't know how much, if any, of your story is true. I couldn't say if you're innocent of all your crimes. But I can tell you that I know what it is to have a monster inside that you can't always control. And running isn't the answer." She pulled her hand back to herself and watched him.

Hans felt himself shifting under her eyes, the steadiness of her look. "You and I aren't the same. You create life, all I do is hurt. You ought to just freeze my heart and be done with it." Maybe that at least would be able to kill him. Nothing else had, yet. Elsa was quiet for a long moment and his eyes dropped again.

"Stay here." She finally said. "I'll bring you clothes, and food. I'll help you find another way to stop this." She told him quietly. He remained where he was, slouched against the icy bars, listening to the sound of her footsteps retreating.

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 **A/N: I am on a roll with this story, guys. Pounding out a chapter a day? That's what I'm talking about. Quickly, I want to say that you'll have to forgive the slight changes from the movie, just pretend the moon wasn't quite full in the song 'Love Is An Open Door'. The night he broke out is supposed to be the same day of the thaw, so it was close to being full before that. I tried to answer several questions in this chapter, but I will answer more later, I promise! Just working on the awkward middle phase now, bear with me. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	4. Indefinable

_It's that shred of humanity that makes us eventually crawl out from under the stairs and show ourselves to you. 'Cause even a monster can be afraid of the darkness._

 _-_ Being Human

* * *

Weeks passed and Elsa settled into something of a routine. She had duties to attend to as queen, trade to manage and so forth. She was careful to make some time for Anna as much as she could, learning about her sister all over again. Thirteen years of separation had put a dent in their relationship that, while not irreparable, was going to take some time to mend. Yet Anna was distracted running after Kristoff, something Elsa wasn't sure if she approved of or not. As long as it kept Anna busy and not asking questions though, she wouldn't fight it.

But every few days, or at least once a week, she found a reason to shut herself away in her room. Feigning sickness or a need to be alone, she would order that nobody disturb her. Those days she would steal away to the North Mountain, conjure up a wind to carry her far faster than any horse. At times it was difficult to remain hidden, but as long as she flew high enough, nobody really noticed her.

She took what supplies she could carry and left them in her castle for Hans. Everyone assumed him to be dead, and some days she wondered if he might as well be. She hadn't been sure at first if it had all been an act to garner pity. Now she knew that no human being could portray misery the way he did without feeling it. After the first week, she had melted the cage and he stayed in the ice castle. He told her that only the week before and after the full moon would he get too violent or occasionally partially shift. And the full turn only ever came during the full moon.

Other than that, he stayed silent most of the time. Gave a quiet thanks for whatever she brought him and retreated to some dark corner of the castle with a look of shame on his face. She knew the feeling a little too well herself. Hiding from people for fear she would hurt them. Anna had made her look past that, given her another option. Hans seemed to have given up. No amount of prodding or pushing would convince him to try to come up with a way to break his curse, he only sat sullenly in corners. Like he didn't want to be helped.

She knew the truth. He had given up on himself, saw it as a lost cause. Until a few more weeks passed and he slowly seemed to come to life again. He had more energy, he ate more. She could see him listening to everything around him, altogether _aware_ of his surroundings. They were only a week away from the full moon and he insisted she construct a room to hold him. Something with several feet of the densest ice she could manage. She put a series of ice doors leading up to it, and a wall of bars down the center so she could still enter and speak to him, pass food and clothes through. Two nights before the full moon, she entered the room and he stood at rapt attention, his eyes bright.

"I'm hungry." The first words out of his mouth, his hands wrapped around the bars. He had lost all charm and ease after about a week or so, but it was oddly refreshing to be around somebody that didn't spend fifteen minutes to say something that could be relayed in two words. Wordlessly, she slipped the small pack off her back and handed it through the bars to him. He started pulling things out immediately, going for the loaf of bread first, tearing pieces off bit by bit and eating them. Not uncouthly, but certainly in the manner of someone who wasn't accustomed to being watched.

Not that she could blame him, if what he said about his family keeping him locked up was true. He likely hadn't spent any time eating around people since he was sixteen. It made her wonder how he had fooled them all so thoroughly during her coronation. He'd been the picture of suave and grace, from what little she could recall. She could remember watching him dance with Anna, that odd feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Don't you get bored?" She asked, conjuring a chair to sit in. That was what had threatened to do her in, the mind-numbing boredom. She had read nearly every book in the library, but even that had gotten dull sometimes. She had brought a few books for Hans, but he seemed to be a much slower reader than her, and didn't show much interest.

To her question, he shrugged. "I suppose this is what I'm more used to. People, crowds, I might have put on a show, but that wasn't my element. I'm sure you can understand." He said, already demolishing the loaf of bread he'd pulled out and reaching in for something else. He pulled out some dried meat and started tearing that into bits before eating it.

"Thank you for the food. It's much better than what I'm accustomed to." He added in quickly, as if just remembering his manners. Elsa smiled and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. It didn't make sense to her how sincere he was. Nothing like the cold-hearted monster Anna described from the library.

"Queen Elsa?" Hans said, drawing her attention back up. She nodded silently to urge him on, and his lips pressed together in thought for a moment.

"Whatever I say from this point on… Don't let me out of here. If I say anything that doesn't sound right, or is cruel, close your ears to it. Apparently I've been known to shout some crass things occasionally, or try to talk my way out on the day or two before my turn." He coached gently. Elsa paused, then nodded.

"I understand." She said. He visibly sagged in relief.

"Good. And whatever you do, don't come in here during the full moon. Not only is it dangerous, I don't want you to see that."

She nodded again. "I'll stay in the rest of the castle. But I will be here, just in case." She told him. She couldn't take the chance of him escaping and going down to Arendelle. At least if she was there, she was confident that she could stop him in some way. He nodded grimly and fell silent again. They spent plenty of time silence, generally. But it was a comfortable silence, between two people who were accustomed to solitude.

"Queen Elsa?" He spoke again some time later.

"I believe at this point it's acceptable to forgo formalities and merely refer to me as Elsa, Prince Hans." She pointed out. Hans gave a wry a smile.

"Then call me Hans, please. As you said it, Prince Hans is dead." He replied. There was no bitterness in his tone, not even a sense of loss. Just a statement that he seemed perfectly at peace with.

"Hans it is, then." She agreed, offering a smile. He actually smiled back at her, an honest smile, and it made her soften a bit towards him. It was difficult to see him as a killer when he looked at her like that, appearing as innocent as a child.

"Elsa, then." He sounded a bit more unsure now, but she gave him a look to urge him on. "Why do all this for me?" He asked, fingering the hem of his shirt. She sent him a questioning look and he hurried to continue.

"You've done more for me than even my family, and from what I can recall, I tried to kill you. I hurt your kingdom in a way that may never heal properly. If it weren't for me, your secret would still be yours. Yet in spite of all of that, you've let me be as free as you could manage, you've kept me secret and you've provided me with anything I need. I don't understand it." He paused a moment before adding, "I don't understand _you_."

She wasn't sure how to answer him. Wasn't sure she even knew why she was doing any of it. To some extent she understood what he went through and couldn't help but take pity on him. And she was beginning to believe that the man in front of her now had not chosen any of the things that had hurt her or Anna so badly. That came from something much more sinister inside of him. To not take pity on someone such as him would be wrong. But she somehow doubted that telling him it was because of pity would give him peace.

"I suppose I understand the need to separate in a person what is them and what is beyond their control. If you truly had no intentions of harming anyone, which I am slowly coming to believe more and more, then you're not a person to be reviled. And as you fall within my kingdom, it is my duty to see to it that you have at least the bare essentials, as with anyone that is under my rule." She answered carefully. It sounded good to her own ears, the kind of answer a queen ought to give.

"You've done a bit more than give me the bare essentials." Hans pointed out softly. Elsa looked down. So she couldn't talk her way around him.

"Perhaps not. But if I cannot help those that are alike to me in some way, what sort of queen am I?" She questioned, drawing her eyes back up to his.. He appeared to think on it for a moment, then he nodded.

"You're a different sort, Elsa." He said softly. And despite how she had Anna telling her good things every day, advisors to tell her she was doing well, villagers who gushed on her every move, that comment from Hans left a little bloom of warmth that she couldn't explain away.

* * *

 **A/N: Woohoo, still going on this! Thanks for reading, drop some reviews if you please, let me know what you think.**


	5. Intercept

_I was a good child, did my homework, ate my vegetables, kissed my mother goodnight. I was patient, I was kind, but I'm starting to think that good things don't actually come to those who wait. We behaved as well as we could, for as long as we could, and now it's time to try something else. We came screaming into this world. How can we possibly leave it without a fight?_

\- Being Human

* * *

The full moon came and passed without event. Elsa spent it in her ice castle, trying to find a room where she couldn't hear the desperate howls or screams as he turned. She feared the entire night that he would escape and something terrible would happen. Yet the room held and the night turned to morning. Just as morning turned to days and days turned to weeks turned to months. Her routine became something more.

She relied upon the visits to the North Mountain. It was easier that way. Escaping from her own life to find solace in another place. A quieter place. Away from the pressure of ruling a kingdom and being the person everyone expected her to be. She began to learn the rhythm of Hans' moods. Closer to the full moon, he became more alive, more aggressive. He spoke more and noticed little things that other people wouldn't. The further he got from the full moon, the quieter her became. More thoughtful and reserved.

That was the trouble with his curse. It was something he wanted to be rid of, but when it was at it's weakest was when he said the world seemed dull. His senses had a wet blanket over them, in his words. It made everything greyish and dragged him into a sluggish feeling mood. But as it grew stronger, everything in him was stronger. He was faster, could smell more, see more, hear her coming when she was still a mile away. Elsa could hardly comprehend what he had to feel like as the full moon drew nearer. He referred to the day of as wanting to crawl out of his skin because nothing felt right.

And with each turn she came to understand him a little more. Came to care for him a little more. Yet as the months fell away, summer faded into winter and the weather turned cold once more. She couldn't carry enough supplies on her own to the castle, leaving her at a loss once more. Hans needed more things, firewood to burn, a real bed to keep him off the ice, thicker clothes. It would be impossible for her to slip out and carry all of it up to the North Mountain.

She needed a wagonload. But she knew little of driving a sled, and didn't know how to order someone to do it without raising suspicions. It was one thing to ask that provisions be dropped at a local farm. It was another to ask someone to leave provisions at her abandoned ice castle and ask no questions nor tell anybody about it.

Until Elsa spotted Kristoff in the courtyard. With winter he didn't have much work delivering ice, and she could imagine he was looking for something to do. She would have to beat Anna to him, but her sister typically slept much later, even now that her and Kristoff were officially courting. Something she had reluctantly agreed to under the duress of Anna's pleading eyes and the knowledge that Kristoff was a better man than most royalty Anna would meet.

She just had to hope he wasn't _too_ good of a man. Elsa swept into the courtyard, calling for Kristoff before he could leave. The ice harvester turned and stiffened at the sight of her, offering a silly sort of bow that was altogether unnecessary.

"Your-um-Queen Elsa." He told her, straightening up and pulling his hat off to twist between his hands. It drew a smile from her, an understanding as to why Anna had such a soft spot for him. She held a hand up.

"No need for that, please. I have some provisions I need taken somewhere, and I was hoping you and Sven could transport them for me. You'll be paid, of course." She said, doing her best to approach it with ease. Kristoff gave an unsure look, no doubt wondering why she wouldn't have one the servants take care of it, or her guards. But he didn't question her.

"Of course.." He said slowly. "Where did you need them taken?" He asked. The moment of truth. Elsa's stomach clenched and she did her best to not let it show.

"Up the North Mountain. To the ice castle I built." She said, doing her best to keep her face unreadable.

"What do you need taken up there?" Kristoff asked, the confused look on his face growing, and looking more and more like he was suspicious in her mind. She didn't know if it was true or just her mind assuming the worst.

"Supplies. And it's of the utmost importance that you don't speak of it to anyone." She said, her palms beginning to sweat. It was ridiculous, she was the Queen. And she had done nothing wrong. She just didn't want anyone to know what she had done. Because it could look very wrong to others. That was all.

"What about Anna?" Kristoff asked next, looking increasingly uncomfortable. Not even questioning anymore, just like he was searching for an escape and coming up short. Elsa couldn't look him in the eyes when she replied, instead fixing her eyes on his brown boots.

"Not even Anna." She didn't sound nearly as in control as she hoped. But she couldn't let Anna find out that Hans was still alive. That she had been the one keeping him alive for months without telling anyone, up in her ice castle. It would be betrayal, sneaking around behind everyone's backs. And it would mean Hans would lose his secret. Who knew what people would want to do to him. Who knew what they would want to do to her.

"I'm not sure I feel comfortable wit-"

"I'll give you my blessing to marry Anna." Elsa blurted out, cutting Kristoff off. If she thought he had looked uncomfortable before, it was nothing compared to the wide-eyed look he was giving her now. His mouth tried and failed to form words and she hid her hands behind her back to cover their shaking. That had come out too fast, as quickly as the idea came into er head it was out. And she couldn't retract it now.

"You've been courting for months now, and you're clearly a decent man. By now you know whether or not you want a life with her, which I can hardly imagine not being the case. If you do this for me, without asking any questions or telling anyone about it, I will give you my blessing to ask my sister to marry you. I can assure you, she won't be against the idea." The words kept spilling out of her mouth, like a fountain she wasn't able to stop. Kristoff's eyes narrowed.

"And if I don't...you won't give your blessing? Ever?" He asked. Elsa swallowed and held her head high, trying to calm her frayed nerves. Surely this was the reason people found themselves in Helheim. Lies, blackmail, this wasn't what she had been made for. But she did her best to give Kristoff a cold look in answer to his question. He pressed his lips together and she thought she saw a flash of anger in his eyes.

"I see. I'll pull my sled around."

* * *

 **A/N: Please don't hate me! I have reasons for why Elsa did this. And I know I didn't follow a lot of what you guys were expecting, but I do have to save some things for later. I don't know if I'll bring Olaf in, because I really struggle with writing him. I do love him, but I'm not great at writing his type of character. But we'll see and I will keep that request in mind. Be ready for another Hans chapter next!**


	6. Introduction

_When's the last time you were truly alone? When you didn't think to yourself "somebody's watching me." A Man can wander for eternity these days before he can find a place to be himself, let go, howl at the moon. How'd we let this happen to us? Why do we insist on looking when every impulse tells us to look away? Maybe its because we all have something to hide- that thing we buried down deep, deep back in the darkness with everything we have. We're secretly hoping to see that the monster inside each of us is inside us all. There it is, look hard enough, you'll see. We will be seen._

\- Being human

* * *

Elsa's ice castle was better by far than the dungeon he'd stayed in back in the Southern Isles. He was free to roam the whole thing, study the impossible intricacies she had breathed into the creation, and even go outside when he so chose. He was grateful for all of that. Freedom that he wasn't accustomed to, and the little things she did to try to keep him from getting bored. Boredom was not the problem, though.

Hans had always preferred winter. But that did not change the fact that his body wasn't made to withstand the kind of cold up the North Mountain, living in an ice castle. He had to keep moving almost constantly just to keep warm, and winter had only just begun. He knew that Elsa was trying, but she could only bring so much with her at a time, and he wasn't sure how he was going to make it through the worst months of winter without much more supplies than what she could provide.

At least, he was worried. Until he spotted a stranger pulling a sleigh around to the front of the castle. The man was big, and obviously not one of Arendelle's guard. But sled was full of supplies stacked high. Hans watched warily from one of the higher windows where he would go unnoticed, waiting to see what the man would do. His hope was that he had been sent by Elsa, but there was always a chance the man had just happened upon the castle.

The blonde man looked around him, as if searching for an answer, then slid out of the front of his sleigh. He went around to the back and started pulling things off, stacking them neatly in front of the staircase that led up to the castle. It took about half an hour, but everything was off and the man looked around one more time. Then he climbed back in his sleigh, gave the reins a tug, and slid off into the trees.

Hans gave it a few minutes just to be sure. Then he slipped down and out of the castle, jogging down the staircase to look over the supplies. There was more food, firewood, blankets, even pieces of a bed he could put together back up in the castle. Everything he needed to survive a winter in Arendelle's bitter cold. He sent a silent thanks to Elsa, before grabbing an extra jacket from the pile and slipping that on. It was exactly what he needed to keep the cold off. He decided to start by pulling in the food, not wanting to attract any animals with the smell. It was in crates, and he picked up the first two before turning back to the stairs.

"Hey!" The shout came from behind him. Hans hardly had enough time to set down the crates in his hands, before a brick wall hit him. The next thing he knew, he was attempting to sit up in the snow and blink away the stars from his vision. The brick wall was the same blonde man he had seen retreating and was standing over him, looking liable to hit him again should he try to move.

"Wait, listen-" Hans said, holding his hands up and trying not to provoke another attack. It was a good thing he was about as far as he could get from a full moon, or he would not be fit at the moment.

"You're supposed to be dead." The man growled lowly. Hans looked up and gave a helpless gesture.

"Surprise?" He said weakly. It probably wasn't helping his case much, but he wasn't sure what else to say. He knew he needed to say something, anything to keep this man from going and telling everyone. Elsa would be the one to suffer the consequences for it, since she had been the one keeping him alive up in her ice castle. If they knew what he was, knew that she knew, who knew what Arendelle would do.

"I'm taking you back to Arendelle." The rather unamused man said, grabbing the back of Hans' jacket and dragging him up before starting to walk to where Hans assumed his sled would be. Hans twisted and struggled to gain his feet while in motion, but managed to slip out of his jacket. He sprung to the side, finding his footing finally and facing the other with his fists up. The last thing he was going to let happen was someone dragging him back to Arendelle to put him on display. He was an alright fighter when he wasn't caught off guard, he was confident he could at least avoid capture.

"No you're not." Hans replied, taking a steady breath. His eyebrows drew together in his own stern look, ready to be just as stubborn as anything this man could meet him with. The blonde turned towards him as well and glared back.

"I can take care of you here, if that's what you prefer." He threatened, stalking forward. Hans braced himself.

"Kristoff, no!" Elsa blew in with a gust of winter wind that chilled Hans to the bone and filled him with relief. He didn't know how she had managed to arrive at exactly the right moment, but she was there, standing between the two of them. Her trips had become more frequent once she had discovered how to travel with wind and ice carrying her. _Kristoff_ looked as confused as Hans was relieved. Confused and angry.

"Why are you keeping him here? Helping him?" He demanded, getting close enough to her that Hans felt his hackles rising. He might have been grateful at first, but now he wanted to rip Elsa away from the man that seemed far too comfortable yelling at her. Elsa raised her chin and looked him in the eye though, with a fiery look.

"It's more complicated than you understand. I was trying to keep you out of it, trying to keep everyone out of it. Which is why I ordered you not to tell anyone and just leave the things here." She said calmly. Hans could see her hands locked behind her back though, shaking somewhat. He eyed Kristoff darkly and readied himself to step in if necessary. New moon or not, he could feel his wolf right there at the brink of his mind, snarling and itching to protect Elsa.

"So you're lying to everyone. You're lying to Anna." Kristoff said, his hand raising to point a finger in Elsa's face as he stepped even closer. Hans saw red. Before he really knew what he was doing, he grabbed Elsa's arm and yanked her back, stepping up to Kristoff himself. He stepped closer to the taller man, who actually took a step back in surprise as Hans practically snarled at him.

"Do not ever raise a hand to the Queen like that again. Unless you want it bitten off." He growled, jaw clenching and eyes hard. Kristoff took another step back, his eyes wide. He hadn't been expecting that, and Hans suddenly realized how aggressive he was coming across. It was strange, he typically only got like this within a few days of a full moon. He settled his shoulders back and forced his face to fall blank again, stepping back. Elsa was rubbing her arm and looking at him warily.

"I…" He had nothing to say for his actions, so he merely looked down at the snow. "Sorry." He muttered. He heard Elsa taking a breath, then her feet fell across the snow, towards Kristoff once more.

"Come inside, since you're here. I'll explain to you why Hans is still alive." She said. Hans looked up inside to see a distrustful glance from Kristoff, before a nod. Elsa's blue eyes met his, still looking at him in apprehension, but her head flicked for him to follow them and he hurried after the two of them. It wasn't far up the stairs to the ice castle, but it felt like a mile of walking with the tension in the air.

Elsa drew up three chairs from the ice when they entered the main room, which Kristoff ran an appreciative hand over before he sat. For some reason, that stirred up another spout of annoyance towards the man. He wasn't sure why. He didn't know why he was feeling the need to keep Elsa away from him, either. Nothing in his head made sense at the moment, and it was all he could do to shove the sudden possessive streak down. He sat in his own chair and watched Elsa gracefully descend into hers, hands linking in her lap.

"Before you throw anymore accusations, yes. Hans is alive, and yes I hid it. It was for the best for everyone." She said calmly. Of course there was the slightest tremor in her tone that Hans could detect, but doubted that Kristoff could.

"Why?" Kristoff asked simply, still casting dark glances in Hans' direction. Elsa glanced at him as well, and he nodded for her to go on. He felt no desire to share his story with a stranger, but if she wanted to she could. She looked back to Kristoff.

"Do you remember the beast that killed several guard and was assumed to have killed Hans?" She asked. Kristoff nodded. "Hans is that monster." She said simply. If he thought Kristoff was stiff before, now he was as stiff as one of Elsa's ice sculptures.

"And this supposed to explain why you _haven't_ locked him up?" He asked incredulously. Elsa held a hand up.

"Hans was cursed when he was sixteen. He becomes that every full moon, and it can affect his actions a few days before and after. He has no knowledge of what he is doing when he shifts. Were I to keep in in the dungeons in Arendelle, he would break out and the result would be disaster. I refuse to send him back to the Southern Isles as they had him in terrible conditions. Here in my ice castle, he is free to roam about during the weeks when he is more himself, and during the turn he has a room that can hold him. My magic can hold him. It's the safest option for everybody. But if people in Arendelle were to know, they would want to see him. Some would want to kill him. Word would get back to the Southern Isles. I must keep his existence quiet. Even from Anna." Her voice, which had been strong all throughout the explanation, fell quite with the last sentence, and silence echoed in the great room.

Hans could feel Kristoff's eyes on him, but refused to look up. Just another person to ogle him, really. Likely to run back to Arendelle still and tell everyone. Hans would have to run. Or maybe just ask Elsa to turn him into an ice sculpture, so he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone. At least that would end his hell.

"Okay." Kristoff's voice broke the silence and surprise drew Hans' head up. Kristoff nodded. "So what do you want me to do?" He asked, looking over at Elsa. She shut her eyes for a moment, relief plain on her face.

"If you're willing to help, there is something I was thinking of."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Elsa definitely wouldn't have kept her blessing from Kristoff if he had refused, she was just trying to make sure he helped her. Which now he is. Anyway, I hope everyone was wanting protective/possessive werewolf Hans, because that's what you got! I mean, I can't write a werewolf story without him getting a little possessive. There's probably going to be three or four more chapters after this, but one of them will be really short.**


	7. Invoke

_The bonds you form with someone will make you look past anything, ignore what they've become. You'll hang on to the version you wanna remember, not the one in front of you now. Friends, parents, mentors, we hold on to that idealized image of them, even if it's an illusion. Because if we can't believe in them, what does that say about us?_

\- Being Human

* * *

"Do we really have to do this every month?" Kristoff grunted, trying to lift the dead deer and drag it into the back of the sleigh. Elsa stood off a few feet, nose wrinkled as she tried not to watch the scene. Of course she realized that most of the meals she was served came from scenes like this. People hunted for her food, that was a fact of life. But it was always different when she was actually looking at it, and her stomach always turned. She knew she wouldn't be eating dinner, after this.

"It's the only thing that keeps him distracted enough he doesn't try to break out. He was getting too smart, my ice wouldn't hold him. Now the wolf eats and he's too full to do anything. It's the best way." She answered, conjuring an icy handkerchief to hold over her nose and mouth. It really didn't smell, but it made her feel better to cover her mouth.

"Yeah, you've explained it to me is just _really_ not was I was hoping to do tonight." He said, grunting again as he managed to heft the last of it up onto the sleigh. He paused and leaned over to catch his breath, hands on his knees and looking over at her. Elsa nodded in softer understanding, lowing the handkerchief enough to offer a small smile.

"I know. You have much more pressing matters to attend to." She agreed, smile growing just a little. Kristoff hopped down from the back of the sleigh and removed his hat to shake it at her and rub his head. He turned away and stomped off towards the front of the sleigh, but not before she spotted the red on his neck. It made her laugh a little as she hurried after him, slipping into the front of the sleigh as well.

"Don't worry Kristoff. I'm sure Anna has everything under control. Tomorrow will go off perfectly. Even if she did have to insist on holding the wedding the day after a full moon." She told him with a wry smile. He looked over just long enough to roll his eyes at her before he looked back and snapped the reins.

"Come on Sven." He called, and the sleigh lurched into motion. He reached over and gave her shoulder a push, drawing another small laugh from her. It was always oddly entertaining to talk about these sort of things around Kristoff. He got quite a bit less comfortable and tended to fall into embarrassed silence. And since he'd grown far more comfortable with her in the past few months, he'd been more at ease teasing her back.

She still felt bad for pulling him into the mess. But it was nice to have someone else who knew what was going on, someone that she knew could help. It didn't seem quite so overwhelming when there was someone else there to help her. She wasn't alone, and the was a relief of stress she didn't know she even had.

"You'll be back in time tomorrow?" Kristoff asked, after they'd been moving for a while. Elsa looked to the side at him.

"Honestly Kristoff, that's a ridiculous question. I don't care what might go wrong tonight, there is not even the slightest chance I won't be there come daybreak tomorrow. I'm going to keep Anna busy and make sure that everything goes perfectly. There's nothing to worry about." She assured him, a smile tugging at her lips. Of course she would be more tired than she would prefer, but there was no way to avoid that. Kristoff looked back at her, then gave a nervous chuckle and looked ahead again.

"Alright. I guess I just still can't believe it's actually happening." He admitted somewhat bashfully. Elsa laughed lightly. It was such a different side to him than anything she had seen before.

"Well it is. There's no backing out now. Just working on getting you home quickly so you can get plenty of rest before the big day tomorrow." Elsa said firmly, with a nod of her head. Kristoff flicked the reins and Sven sped up. It wasn't long before they made it back to the ice castle, and Elsa had made a wider ramp beside her staircase, so Kristoff could pull the sleigh right up the castle.

From there it was merely a matter of dragging the deer inside and getting it to Hans' ice room. Hans watched in silence as Elsa told Kristoff to go and he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek before hurrying away. It made her smile again, watching him go. He had grown far more comfortable around her, helping her the past few months. And she had become more sure of her decision bless his and Anna's marriage. He was no noble, but he was a good man.

She turned back to Hans, who was glaring with yellow eyes. "You and Kristoff are spending a lot of time together." He commented, his voice low and strange sounding. More reminiscent of the man that had been in the cave, or the one that had tried to kill her on the fjord. It sent unpleasant tingles down her spine and made her grateful for the bars that separated her from Hans.

"Kristoff is getting married tomorrow. To Anna." She replied calmly, unsure of why she didn't just turn around and walk out. There was no point in arguing with Hans like this. He likely wouldn't even remember any of it.

His hands curled around the bars. "And are you upset about that?" He asked, eyes never leaving her as she took a few steps forward.

"I'm happy for my sister and my friend. You won't rile me up, whatever you are." Elsa told him, or it, or whatever he was supposed to be. Her hand slipped around one of his on the bars, hoping she could get some sense into him.

"Hans." She said insistently. "I know you're in there."

He blinked twice and shook his head and his eyes turned back to green. It was a moment before he focused on her once more, apparently taking a moment to situate himself. But his green eyes did lock on her, with almost the same intensity.

"You should go." He warned, fingers brushing against the palm of her hand. She moved her hand to link her fingers with his.

"The sun hasn't even fallen yet. I can stay a little longer." Elsa returned, with no intentions of leaving just yet. But his hand pulled from hers and her turned away, standing with his back to her. Like the overdramatic prince that he was. With a deep breath, Elsa did something she had been practicing. She passed through the bars that separated them, willing the ice to move around her, through her. It was her creation, and in a way, a part of her. With some concentration and practice, she had found a way to move through it.

Hans turned back, and his expression turned to worried. "Elsa, you shouldn't be in here. You need to leave." He said hurriedly, stepping back. She took a stubborn step after him, one of her hands reaching up to comb through his messy hair.

"I trust you." She said. His hand shot up and grabbed her wrist, holding it away from him.

"You shouldn't." He said lowly, eyes darkening a few shades, then flickering with yellow. "Especially not tonight." She wasn't sure if it was him or the wolf talking, but she found herself unable to move with the grip he had on her wrist. So she just glared stubbornly up at him.

"Well I do." She told him, her own voice lower than normal. There was growl from the back of Hans' throat, staring down at her. He gave her arm a tug and she stepped closer with it, till they were nearly touching and it felt like her head was going to beat out of her chest. She had never been this close to a man before. The only time she was ever this close to another human being was when Anna hugged her, but this was definitely nothing like that.

"Then this," Hans said, slipping his free hand around her waist and finally pulling her against him, "is your fault." His eyes shifted fully to yellow and then his lips crashed over hers. His hands moved with precision now, sliding up her back and walking her back until she pressed against the bars. She let her head fall back, let him kiss her. She was lying to herself if she said she hadn't pictured this before. Hadn't wanted it, to some extent.

But this wasn't Hans. This was some growly creature, whose lips pulled from hers and dragged down her neck to bite down and whisper " _Mine_ " against her skin. He had both her wrists now, holding her against the bars. It took a moment to get her thoughts together enough to will the ice around her and step back, leaving him on the other side and her with her chest heaving. Wondering what exactly had just happened.

Hans pressed up against the bars, eyes wild and yellow at first. But he shook his head and made a sound like he was in pain, backing up again. "I'm so sorry. I didn't-" He looked up, eyes green, still shaking his head. "You should go." He told her again. Elsa nodded once, then hurried out, glancing over her shoulder to see Hans retreating to the far corner of his cell.

 _It's not real._ She reminded herself as she pushed out to the rest of the castle. _It's not really him._

* * *

 **A/N: So I actually had a hard time writing this chapter... It might just be because I started a new job and I've been way busier (hence the not updating as much) but something about this one stumped me. I know it's not my best work, so please forgive me. Anyway, I'm a little disappointed in ya'll. None of you have faith in Kristoff? C'mon, he's awesome. Have some faith in him, he's not going to go spilling secrets to anyone but Sven.**

 **Now a few spoilers, fair warning for those of you that would prefer to avoid them. I haven't really decided if I'll write this into the story, which is why I'm saying it now. I do see Hans' wolf as being more or less 'asleep' the weeks further away from the full moon. But being as this is a tacky werewolf story in which I have no shame and am pulling out all the stops, I'm sorta operating under the idea that the wolf has 'claimed' Elsa. The whole 'you smell nice and now you will be my mate' sort of thing, even if both Hans and Elsa are unaware. So now he tends to be extra alert anytime she's in danger or is even near. It might be a stretch, but I'm okay with that.**


	8. Intractable

_The only constant in life is change. People, as a species, are in a constant state of metamorphoses. Just when we get comfortable swimming in the sea, we end up on land. The moment we become accustom to crawling, we stand on two legs. Our instinct is to resist change, to fear it. So we wrap a pretty word like evolution around it and hope it'll make the pill easier to swallow. The thing is, change doesn't care if you love it or you hate it; it's indifferent. Intractable. And it will not be denied._

\- Being Human

* * *

It had been three months since they got married, and Anna was more convinced than ever that something was wrong. Kristoff disappearing during the day, she could understand that. He liked to get away from people. He still worked, even though he didn't have to. They were finally reaching the summer season once more, and he had spent some time organizing for the season, though he was going to be more of an overseer now.

But the first time he'd disappeared at night, she had been confused. All night he had been gone, and had no answers for her when he returned. She could brush that off as a one time event that was merely a puzzle to go unsolved. But when the next month rolled around and he was gone again with no more answers than the first time, she couldn't let go of it. Something was going on and she was going to figure out what it was. It had been exactly a month since, and tonight Kristoff had made some excuse to disappear of to the stables and never returned.

Anna pulled a robe on over her nightdress. At the moment, she didn't care about propriety and whether it was right for a princess to be wandering the castle in her sleep clothes. She was a woman who was going to find out why her husband was disappearing for the third time since they'd been married. She slipped her bare feet into his extra pair of boots and clumped through the halls of the castle, glaring daggers at anyone who looked at her like they might reprimand her. Everyone stayed silent and quietly averted their eyes.

Of course they knew her well enough to know when the fight wouldn't be worth it. There was still light out, which made her wonder why Kristoff had suggested she retire for the night in the first place. She had thought it was because he wanted to 'retire' early with her. Now she thought it was probably to get rid of her so he could slip away to whatever he was doing. Anna marched all the way to the stables, her robe blowing in the wind and no doubt making her look like a righteously indignant matchstick on a mission. Or maybe a doll that a drunk child had tried to dress, she wasn't very good with metaphors. Or comparisons. Whatever it was supposed to be.

Once she got to the stables, she heard voices and paused to listen. It was Kristoff, she knew that much. But the other voice was...Elsa? She didn't know what to think of that. She couldn't make out quite what they were saying either. It made her regret stealing Kristoff's boots and impeding her ability to be silent. She pressed her ear to the doors, trying to still her breathing enough that she could hear, and tried to silence the guilt whispering in her ears. If Kristoff hadn't wanted her to listen in, he should have told her where he was going and why.

"You know if Anna ever finds out about this, she's going to think that we're….you know." Kristoff spoke, making her stomach twist. What were they doing that would make her think that? It made her want to storm in and demand they tell her what was going on. But she waited, wanting to hear Elsa's response.

"Anna is more levelheaded than that, Kristoff. Besides, it would probably be better to let her think that, than to tell her the truth." Elsa spoke next, and this time Anna's stomach dropped. There had to be some terrible secret. And it wasn't just Kristoff, it was Elsa too.

"Yeah, that's never going to happen. We are not going to let my wife think that, ever. And we're not going to be able to keep him a secret forever, either. You have to know that." Kristoff replied. Anna felt a little better to hear that. And there was always that pleasantly warm feeling she got hearing him call her his wife that distracted her from some of her anger.

"I know, I jus…" Anna moved away from the doors before she could hear Elsa's reply. They had said something about a him. Who could he be? Why were they hiding him? She spotted Kristoff's sleigh not far off, enough supplies in it for a person to survive...well she wasn't really sure. She didn't know how supplies were divided up. But it looked like a lot. And it looked like he was getting ready to hook Sven up and take a trip. She had a small window of time, so Anna looked back once at the stable doors, then bit her lip and hurried up to the sleigh.

There was some food, she didn't want to sit next to that. Firewood, lumpy and hard and difficult to hide in. But there were also some of Kristoff's old clothes and a pile of blankets. Anna pulled herself up into the sleigh and shrunk down into the pile as much as she could, pulling one of the blankets over her head. She would just have to hope they wouldn't look too closely. She somehow doubted she looked all that much like she belonged, and she wanted answers before confronting them. She wanted to know what she was confronting them about.

It was a few minutes of sitting in stuffy, uncomfortable silence before she heard them come out. Something else was tossed onto the sleigh, and she heard the familiar clop of Sven's hooves, then Kristoff's odd little voice he used for Sven asking for a carrot. She smiled, before she remembered that she was mad and frowned again. They had better have a really good reason for all of this. They exchanged a few words she couldn't make out and it seemed she would sit back there forever. Then the sleigh finally started to move.

She wondered if she was doing the right thing. Not that she could do anything to change it, now. She was stuck, until they reached whatever the mysterious destination was and found whatever mysterious man they were trying to keep hidden was. She tried to kill time by thinking about what it could be, but all her mind would come up with was a secret beau of Elsa's, which didn't make any sense. Why would she keep him secret? Why would Kristoff know? Why would they be taking him supplies? None of the pieces fit together.

She finally gave up and decided to sleep instead. At least that way the time would pass faster and she wouldn't have to wonder so much. Besides, she wouldn't be all sleepy when they did finally get wherever they were going, which was apparently far outside of town. Probably. She told herself all of it mainly because her eyes were already drooping and she wanted an excuse to allow them to shut without feeling like she was giving up.

There was no telling how much time had passed when a particularly bad bump jolted her awake. There were only faint whispers of light coming through her blanket now, and she slowly pulled it down. And slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from shrieking. Staring back at her with dead, glassy eyes was a goat's head. Connected to a goat's body. A very dead goat, she might add. She yanked the blanket back up and wished she had never looked in the first place. What in all the gods names were they doing carting a dead goat up the mountain?

The North Mountain, she realized now that she thought about it. She recognized the landscape. It only served to confuse her even more, make the whole chain of events a mess in her head. She frowned, crossing her arms under the blanket and settled in to wait. As it turned out, she didn't have long to wait. It was only a few minutes later that she felt the sleigh pull to a halt and her breathing spiked. If they were going to find her, now was going to be the time. She tried to shrink down even more and hold her breath so she wouldn't be moving.

Heavy footsteps crunched through the snow, then she heard something being pulled out of the sleigh and the footsteps retreated again. Silence fell. She couldn't hear Kristoff or Elsa and she dared to peek out again. The goat was gone. The sun was nearly set. Neither her husband or sister were in sight, and the sleigh was resting at the entrance of Elsa's ice castle. It seemed to make less and less sense.

Anna got up while she still could and did her best to run silently through the snow with Kristoff's boots making her steps clumsy and awkward. She shivered against the winter winds, wishing she had thought to bring the blanket with her and hurrying up to the front of the castle. She stepped to the side just as one of the doors opened again, hiding behind it. Kristoff and Elsa came out, walking in grim silence back to the sleigh. Anna didn't pause to listen in and see if they said anything. She ducked inside the castle and slipped and scurried across the floor to hide behind the staircase in the far corner.

She shivered again, waiting for them to return. They came back in and she peeked around enough to see Kristoff setting down several crates and Elsa carrying an armful of clothes.

"Hopefully he won't rip these up." She said, her voice echoing off the walls and ceiling.

"How did that even happen?" Kristoff asked, as they turned back to the doors.

"On the days leading up to t…" Elsa's voice faded away again, leaving Anna with more questions than ever. Who were they giving Kristoff's old clothes to, and why was he ripping them up? Why were they at the ice castle? Why would they keep giving more clothes to someone who was ripping them up? Wasn't that a sign of someone who didn't want something? It didn't make any sense. They made several more trips inside, leaving more stuff inside until there was a pile as big as what had been on the sleigh.

"That's everything." Elsa said, chairs forming beside them, the two of them each taking a seat. "If you want to go back home for the night, I understand. I'll be fine here." She told Kristoff. He reached over and squeezed one of her hands, making Anna frown harder.

"I don't mind staying. I don't like the idea of you being here alone with this." He said.

 _And I don't like the idea of you sneaking off to spend the night with Elsa in her ice castle_. Anna silently accused. She was getting angry now. What, they just came up here to sit together? There was no mystery man even, just a pile of supplies they'd brought in for some person that didn't seem to exist.

"I appreciate it Kristoff, but I should be fine. Hans has never gotten out."

Anna's blood ran cold. _Hans_? It had almost been a year since Hans. Elsa said he was dead. Everyone thought he was dead. Was he their mystery man? The one they had wasted all these supplies on? Now she was definitely angry. They were still talking, but she didn't bother listening anymore. She stomped out of her hiding place into plain view, finger already raised to point accusingly at the two of them.

" _Hans_?" She shouted, doing her best to stride gracefully while slipping on the ice. Elsa's mouth dropped open in shock and Kristoff's eyes merely grew severals sizes wider than she had ever seen before.

"Anna, how did you-"

"Oh, don't even ask me that question. I can't believe the two of you. Is _Hans_ alive?" It felt surreal. There was no way. She must've heard wrong. But the stricken looks on their faces told her she hadn't. With an angry sound, Anna came to a stop and looked around. There was one doorway that she didn't remember from before. She glanced back at Elsa, who was staring at the same door in apprehension.

"Is that where he is?" Anna cried, throwing an arm out to point at the door. Elsa stood up, arm out.

"Anna, don't." She warned, but Anna was already at the door, pulling it open. To a hallway. She heard Kristoff and Elsa shouting after her and it just spurred her on more. She was going to see Hans, and she was going to give him a piece of her mind. She was not going to put up with giving him food or clothing or letting him stay anywhere that wasn't dirty, gross dungeons. That was what he deserved. There were a few more doors to push through, each heavy and difficult and generally with some kind of locking mechanism. Each one giving Kristoff and Elsa more of a chance to catch up.

She made it to the last one just as they were getting to the one behind her. Ice started to crust the door shut, but she had it open enough to slip through. And stop stock still at the sight in front of her. The room was about the size of her own, but had a row of bars down the middle like a prison. On the other side was the dead goat pushed up against a wall, and far from it, was Hans. He was huddled under a blanket in the corner. From what she could tell, he didn't have anything else on, but there was a pile of neatly folded clothes just within reach on her side of the bars. He looked up at her entrance and he looked...afraid?

"You can't be here." He said, glancing about wildly. Like a caged animal. Anna gaped at the sight, feeling only more confusion. This seemed oddly cruel, even for Hans. His eyes fixed on something behind her and Anna glanced back to see Elsa following her inside.

"She can't be here, none of you can." He insisted desperately, rising to his feet and wrapping the blanket tightly around him. "It's about to-" He cut off, his words turning into a growl and his whole body tensing up. Then the growl turned into a cry and his knees seemed to buckle underneath him, making him fall forward.

"What's going on?" Anna demanded, looking back to Elsa. Her sister looked like she was going to be sick, eyes fixed on Hans. In fact, it almost looked like she was tearing up. Kristoff stepped in behind her, watching the scene grimly and offering no explanation either. Anna turned back to look at Hans, who didn't really look like Hans now. His hair was spreading, growing coarser and darker. His face shifted and stretched into something ugly, while his shoulders looked like they were dislocating. It was horrifying and terrible, and he was screaming in pain until she had to hold her hands over her ears and turn away.

Elsa looked like she was in almost as much pain, a flurry starting up around them until her sister collapsed and Kristoff caught her. He flicked his head insistently towards the door at Anna and she silently followed his voiceless order. He stepped after her, carrying a weeping Elsa and breaking the ice at the foot of the door to pull it shut. Anna walked all the way out of the hallway, grateful for every door that shut and quieted the sound of shouts that were turning to howls behind them. She could still hear it out in the great room, but it wasn't so deafeningly loud. She turned to see Kristoff setting Elsa down in one of the chairs and turning to look at her and cross his arms.

"When someone tells you not to go in a room, you don't go in the room." He whisper yelled at her. Anna fought between feeling guilty and angry. She settled for indignant, glaring right back at him and trying not to listen to the sound of Elsa crying.

"When you're hiding the man that tried to kill my sister and take over Arendelle, you tell me instead of sneaking out at night with my sister to take care of him." She yelled right back, in less of a whisper-y tone. His hands clenched into fists, but he didn't seem to have a reply to that. Instead he just turned and gestured to Elsa, who was just beginning to pull herself together.

"You see what you did?" He accused. Anna's head drew back.

"Oh, _I_ did that? I don't think so, I was just trying to figure out what's going on." She insisted, not liking the way it was all getting turned around on her.

"By snooping!" Kristoff shot back.

"Enough!" Elsa stood, the ice at her feet cracking and turning a pinkish red color. "You two bicker like children." She said, still wiping at tears.

"We're married," protested Kristoff.

"What is going on?" Anna asked, hoping for a straight answer for once. Elsa drew back again, her face falling. She looked as though she would start to speak, but her mouth shut and she shook her head. Kristoff sighed.

"Sit down." He ordered, and Elsa silently complied. Kristoff turned to look squarely at Anna. "Hans is a monster. Once a month, he turns into a wolf, and it messes with his head for the few days before and after. It makes him do things that don't make sense, but Elsa found him and brought him here. She can hold him with her ice, but no other place really can. It's better for everyone if the world thinks he's dead." He stated simply. Like he was announcing the price of carrots at the local market.

Anna's jaw hung open. She wanted to deny it and say she didn't she couldn't believe a word of what he was saying, but the howls still echoing dimly around them were proof in and over themselves. There was nothing to do but gape at him, wonder how her husband had kept such a big secret from her for so long. What could she even say to something like that?

"But why didn't you tell _me_?" She asked, eyes switching between Kristoff and Elsa who both wore vaguely guilty expressions.

"It's not an easy thing to know." Kristoff said. "We wanted to keep you from it. And it's not exactly easy for you to keep a secret, if you recall when we tried to surprise Elsa." He continued, his look somewhat reprimanding now. She did calm a little at that, trying to think rationally. To some extent she could understand it. But that didn't make it right. It didn't make her okay with it.

"No." She said stubbornly, stomping one of her feet. Both Kristoff and Elsa looked up unsurely. "We're a family. Family doesn't keep things from each other, especially not like this. And we don't do things alone, we do things together." The last thing she needed was another secret kept from her. That was how Elsa had become isolated in the first place.

Elsa stood again, on shaky legs. "I'm sorry I kept this from you, Anna. And that I insisted Kristoff do the same. I just wanted to protect you." She said quietly. Anna huffed and stared angrily. She wanted to be angry. She wanted be unreasonable and shout and scream and tell them both they were terrible for keeping such a big secret from her. But she heard the distant howls and felt a burden already settling onto her shoulders. She reminded herself of how Elsa always tried to do things on her own because she had been isolated even more than Anna. She reminded herself that it was her sister and it was Kristoff, and neither of them would ever do anything to purposely hurt her. And she sighed.

"I forgive you." The words came out still a little reluctant, but they were out. And there was visible relief on their faces at her words. Anna slipped closer to Kristoff, pressing up against his side and stealing some of his warmth.

"I am still angry with you, I'm just really cold." She told him. He sighed and shifted and a few seconds later she felt his jacket settle over her shoulders and shut all the cold out. Then his hat set over her head and fell over her ears and she couldn't help but smile to herself. It wasn't fair how hard it was to stay angry at Kristoff.

"You know I love you, right?" He muttered against her hair, just loud enough that she could hear. She paused a moment before nodding against him and one of his arms moved around her in response.

"Good." He mumbled just as quietly, and she knew she wasn't going to be able to hold onto her anger. She shifted enough so she could turn out and look at Elsa, who was staring mournfully at the closed door they had just come from. A new thought came into her mind, as the scene replayed itself in her mind. The look on Elsa's face, the way she had reacted to Hans' pain…

"Do you love him?" She asked. It seemed absurd, crazy. But she knew her sister. Elsa looked up, surprise coloring her face.

"I-I…" She started, before her shoulders sagged. "I don't even know what love is." She admitted. Anna pulled away from Kristoff to reach step up to Elsa and take on of her hands.

"Yes you do." She insisted. Elsa smiled, reservedly at first, then a little wider as she nodded. She stepped forward and pulled Anna into a hug.

"Thank you, Anna."

* * *

 **A/N: So strangely enough, I actually enjoyed writing this chapter. I've never really written from Anna's pov before, but it wasn't so bad. I've never been a fan of the unreasonably angry Anna who goes insane when she sees Hans and gets super hateful; I feel like it doesn't fit her character. But that's my own personal opinion and we all have different ways of looking at things. Like with Kristoff. I don't know why, but I feel like he would be really good at keeping secrets. I see him as a compartmentalizer, but I couldn't tell you why. But as was pointed out, this place is for everyone to have their own theories.**

 **secretcastle I do have plans for his wolf...You just have to wait and see.**


	9. Interpretation

_It doesn't matter if you're dead, undead or somewhere in between. Because it's you humans, that haunt us. And you won't let us go._

\- Being Human

* * *

Hans was waiting for things to go wrong. It had been bad enough with just Elsa and Kristoff knowing about him, with Anna in the mix, he couldn't imagine his secret staying kept for long. People would come with pitchforks and fire to kill the monster. He had never expected to live this long, anyway. He had never wanted to, until now.

Now that he had the ice castle, good clothes, good food, there was a flicker of hope he was doing his best not to feed. He knew the hope didn't really come from more comfortable living. He knew the hope was pointless. It was a light, though, something to give him peace in an existence of darkness.

He had taken care not to touch Elsa since the kiss. He told himself that it had been a trick of his memory to think she had responded to his touch. It had only been fractured pieces of him, anyway. So close to a change, he hadn't been himself. He would never be bold enough for such a thing. It was enough that she didn't hate him. That much was incredible alone. He had committed so many terrible acts against her, her family, her kingdom. He had earned her ire, yet she didn't give it. The difference between her and his family was astounding at times. They had hated him for merely existing. Elsa forgave him, for merely existing. He already had what he didn't deserve. That didn't stop him from wanting more, desiring the unattainable.

Hans took to wandering listlessly about the castle while he was alone. He had already discovered all of it. There were books, but those were of little interest to him. He had never been an avid reader. It was hard to sit still that long and focus on printed words. He didn't know if that was him or the effect of the wolf inside of him. In any case, worry now had him even more agitated than usual, even once the period of time around the full moon faded.

On high alert for danger, Hans could hear someone coming before they ever reached the castle. It couldn't be Elsa, she always traveled via wind and this was a horse, no, two horses. Not enough for an angry mob, at least. He took to pacing, working his way to the upper balcony so he could see them from a greater distance.

He saw Elsa first. Her horse was struggling through the snow, but it was built for the weather. Then came Anna. Unintentionally, Hans gripped the open rail. He had not spoken to Anna since the coronation night, assuming he didn't count their brief exchange during his last change. He had been more wolf than human then, anyway. He abruptly turned and went back inside, mind running faster. He didn't know what he would say to her. What he could say to her to make up for his actions. Elsa had forgiven him for reasons he couldn't yet understand, but could Anna?

He searched through his now distant memories of Anna. She was lively and childlike and, from what he remembered, lonely. According to Elsa, her and Anna had repaired their friendship since the coronation. Anna was what she talked about, most of the time. Be it confusion or frustration, or joy. Sometimes he thought it was a way of avoiding talking about herself. He had never told her as much.

That didn't help him think of anything to say to Anna. It didn't prepare him to see her again, be reminded once more of the terrible things he had done. The idea danced through his head to leave. Slip out the back and watch from the woods until they left, but he quickly dismissed it. The least he could do was face what he had done. Guilt gnawed at his stomach as he forced his feet to carry him back to the ground level of the castle, waiting in an impatient, jerky pace. He didn't have to wait long.

Elsa blew the doors open and Hans did his best to avoid looking at the entrance. The chill of the winter blew in with her, now with hopeful notes of spring in the air. He hadn't realized that much time had passed already. The passing of time had always fallen along a monthly scale for him, but since coming to stay in the ice castle, the turn hadn't been as dreaded as it had been at home. If anything, he was beginning to feel more at ease with the wolf inside of him, as if it were possible.

"Hans," Elsa sounded as unsure as he felt. "Anna and I cam to visit. I brought food and more books." She offered, and he forced himself to face them.

"I brought a game." Anna said. She looked older. Not so lonely. Hans tried a smile, with a bad feeling that he failed. He clasped his hands together in front of himself.

"I believe I owe you an apology." He told her, stiffly. Anna shook her head quickly and unceremoniously. A tuft of red hair fell between her eyes, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Elsa explained everything to me. I know a little bit about curses." She said, smiling wryly. Hans smiled back, brief but true. Some of the tension in his shoulders eased. This family, they forgave too easily. It was a soothing relief after the damage of his own family.

"Curse or no curse. I'm still sorry." He bowed shallowly, empty manners. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Elsa with her eyes shut in what appeared to be relief. "What game did you bring?" He asked, hoping to shift the subject away from the past. Elsa shut the doors behind them, pulling in a small cart of food, while Anna skipped closer and set her box down on the table Elsa had created a few visits earlier.

"I used to play this with my mother," she began.

* * *

 **Honestly guys, I'm not even going to try to explain this one. The chapter or the two year disappearance. I guess the truth is that shit happens and life happens and hey, maybe I'll be back for a while. Maybe I'll disappear again and never come back. Let's keep our fingers crossed!**

 **Side note - everyone reading this should thank the reviewers. The only reason I came back to this story is because of the wonderful people who reviewed it and asked me to keep going. Without you guys, I absolutely would have ditched this. Stay awesome.**


	10. Intent

_This shouldn't have worked for so many reasons. But for a little while, for this excellent moment in time, it did work, didn't it? And I felt human, alive. But you were right. A secret breaks things down. It's like bile; dark, corrosive. It's a long story, and most of it's unbelievable. But it's time you knew the truth... now that I have nothing left to lose. When I'm gone, I at least want you to know what I was. I want you to know who you are to me. Nothing else matters. Not anymore._

-Being Human

* * *

Elsa could not stop thinking about Hans. It had been a problem before, but it was different now. She could try to ignore the truth all she wanted, but she knew why. It was Anna and her questions that hit the mark every time, it was the memory of watching Hans being twisted into something horrifying, it was the kiss that felt as though it still lingered on her lips. She was distracted. Her duties fell by the wayside and she found herself spending more time staring out a window, watching the snow slowly recede back to the mountain as the tentative fingers of spring found their way to Arendelle.

Ideas turned over in her head, always coming back to the same one. It took royalty marrying Hans to break the curse. She played through different eligible young women she knew, always discovering some inane flaw that she deemed worthy of counting them out. It was a game she played with herself. Pretending that she was his only option, as if there was anything practical about the idea. She wanted to play out the fantasy of her being the savior, rather than the villain for once. And, selfishly, she wanted him.

Impractical. She was a queen, she reminded herself. She had responsibilities and Hans was dead, for all anyone else knew. Logic invaded her thoughts no matter how many times she tried to escape it and she was left locked in a cage of her own sensibility. If she could only turn back time, go back to the coronation and greet people differently. She could have danced with him, she could have been the one to foolishly get engaged to a man she had only just met. A smile played at her lips, before logic dumped like a bucket once more over her head and she was forced to remember that there were no circumstances where she might have acted so impetuously.

She had gone on in this way of thinking for days and she might have gone on for days more, if Anna hadn't burst into her room without warning in the midst of one of such sessions. Her red hair painted a wild picture above her head, proof that she had not allowed Gerda to dress her before leaving her room.

"Trolls!" She shouted, as though that had any meaning to Elsa. Elsa blinked.

"I'm sorry?" She asked. Of course she assumed she knew of the trolls Anna was speaking of. The stone trolls who had taken Anna's memory when she was young and told her how to fix her frozen heart when Elsa had frozen it. That did not explain why Anna felt it necessary to come shouting about them for no apparent reason.

"Trolls!" She repeated, and Elsa felt no further informed of the point. "The trolls, Kristoff's trolls." Anna went on.

Elsa sighed and tugged at her gloves. "Yes Anna, I am aware of the trolls." Regardless of the good things they had done, she still had unpleasant childhood memories of them, and talking about them left her feeling unsettled.

Anna huffed. "You're not getting it. We have to take Hans to the trolls, Grand Pabbie has magic and he might be able to fix him. We might be able to break his curse!" Her hands clapped together with exuberance. She bouncing with it, Elsa noticed after a moment. It took her a moment to realize that she wasn't so exuberant and that was a problem. She forced herself to smile.

"That's a wonderful idea, Anna. We should go now." Forcing herself to stand wasn't as easy as the smile, but she'd had plenty of practice in making herself do things she didn't want to do. Her voice wasn't convincing enough, though, because Anna paused before leading the way out the door to look hard at Elsa.

"You're not happy." She said, leaving no room for Elsa to argue. Elsa pushed herself towards the door as she contemplated what to tell Anna. They had agreed to have no more secrets, and it felt as though each time they agreed that, she created a new one. But the truth, that felt too dangerous to speak out loud. Especially when she had barely admitted things to herself.

"I just don't know what will happen...after." That was, if this even worked. She thought the chances were slim, but for Hans' sake, she hoped the trolls had the magic necessary. Now that the idea of it was sinking in, she was cursing herself for not thinking of it earlier. Hans needed magic and they were some of the most magical creatures to exist.

Anna slipped her hand through Elsa's arm, walking with her out the door. "D'you know when I realized Kristoff loved me?" She asked, voice low. They turned down the hall and kept on walking, still slow and careful. Elsa wasn't sure she recognized the note in Anna's voice.

"Was it when he asked you to marry him?" She asked, only because she knew Anna wanted her to actually name something and not because she actually thought that was the moment. As expected, Anna shook her head.

"It was when he left me to die." She stated it so matter-of-factly, that Elsa messed a step in their walk and nearly stumbled. Regaining her rhythm, she asked,

"I'm sorry, when was this?"

Anna had the audacity to chuckle. "When my heart was...well, erm, _freezing_ ," she went on uneasily, "I thought that I loved Hans, so Kristoff brought me back here and left me. He didn't want to, but he did. I didn't realize it until Olaf pointed out that was what love is, putting someone else's needs above your own. Kristoff left because that was what I needed, not what he wanted." Anna stopped walking and turned to face Elsa. "You're closed off and difficult to read and to some you look cold and uncaring. Because I know you, I know that you have one of the greatest depths for love of anyone in this world. Which means I know you can love enough to do what's best for Hans. Life has a funny way of working out when we do what's right."

Anna turned again. They kept walking. Elsa did not respond, but she didn't think she needed to. She wasn't sure when her little sister had gotten so wise, but her words had somehow both been pointed enough to strike Elsa through the heart, yet soft enough to land without causing pain. She grasped Anna's hand that was still looped through her arm and gave it a squeeze. No words were necessary.

* * *

 **Another short chapter but hey, it's a chapter. Gotta be honest guys, this story may just be one more chapter. After taking such a long break I kinda forgot what I was going to do and decided to go a different direction with the ending. Anyway, I did enjoy some sisterly bonding and I REALLY cannot believe you guys are still keeping up with this story but you are all amazing. If I can knock this one out, I'm probably going to try to go for another long haul like A Marriage of Convenience, but there's really no telling if I'll get there. I have missed this, and I am still just as obsessed with Helsa, unfortunately.**

 **Stay awesome**


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